A controversial biopic of Donald Trump that depicts the former president raping his wife and which has drawn legal threats from his attorneys will hit US theatres this October, it was reported Friday. Tiny indie studio Briarcliff Entertainment plans to release "The Apprentice" for US audiences less than a month before Trump takes on Kamala Harris in the country's razor-tight presidential election, the Hollywood Reporter said. 
 
Representatives for Briarcliff did not immediately respond to AFP queries.

The explosive film about Trump's younger years caused shockwaves at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Its most talked about scene shows Trump raping his first wife, Ivana, after she belittles him for growing fat and bald.

In real life, Ivana accused Trump of raping her during divorce proceedings but later rescinded the allegation. She died in 2022. The movie also shows Trump suffering erectile dysfunction and undergoing liposuction and surgery for hair loss.

Just hours after "The Apprentice" premiered in May, Trump's lawyers vowed to sue the producers, calling the film "garbage" and "pure malicious defamation." Further complicating the film's prospects for US release is that one of its early financial backers was pro-Trump billionaire Dan Snyder, who was reportedly displeased with its depiction of Trump and sought to block the movie.

He has now been bought out of his financial stake in the movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to be released in US theatres on October 11, the Los Angeles Times said.

Sebastian Stan's lead performance as young New York property tycoon Trump received largely positive reviews at Cannes. The film's screenplay was written by Gabriel Sherman, a journalist who covered real estate for the New York Observer and regularly spoke to Trump.

Far from a simple hatchet job, the film depicts Trump as an ambitious but naive social climber desperately trying to navigate the cutthroat world of Manhattan property deals and politics.&nbsp;The Times of London argued it would "make you feel sympathy for Trump."

But Trump's decency is gradually eroded as he learns the dark arts of dealmaking and power from his mentor Roy Cohn, played by "Succession" star Jeremy Strong. Film director Ali Abbasi told AFP he included the rape scene to show how Trump distanced himself from "human relationships that define him and that hold him in check as a human being."

Stan, best known for the Marvel superhero movies, added that Trump's early behaviour "is much more relatable than we want to admit." Briarcliff Entertainment launched in the late 2010s. Its founder, Tom Ortenberg, previously helped steer Oscar campaigns for best picture winners "Spotlight" and "Crash."

He is expected to promote "The Apprentice" in Hollywood's upcoming award season. The news comes on the same day "Reagan," another biopic of a former Republican president, Ronald Reagan, hits US theatres.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.

A controversial biopic of Donald Trump that depicts the former president raping his wife and which has drawn legal threats from his attorneys will hit US theatres this October, it was reported Friday.

A controversial biopic of Donald Trump that depicts the former president raping his wife and which has drawn legal threats from his attorneys will hit US theatres this October, it was reported Friday. Tiny indie studio Briarcliff Entertainment plans to release "The Apprentice" for US audiences less than a month before Trump takes on Kamala Harris in the country's razor-tight presidential election, the Hollywood Reporter said. Representatives for Briarcliff did not immediately respond to AFP queries. The explosive film about Trump's younger years caused shockwaves at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Its most talked about scene shows Trump raping his first wife, Ivana, after she belittles him for growing fat and bald. In real life, Ivana accused Trump of raping her during divorce proceedings but later rescinded the allegation. She died in 2022. The movie also shows Trump suffering erectile dysfunction and undergoing liposuction and surgery for hair loss. Just hours after "The Apprentice" premiered in May, Trump's lawyers vowed to sue the producers, calling the film "garbage" and "pure malicious defamation." Further complicating the film's prospects for US release is that one of its early financial backers was pro-Trump billionaire Dan Snyder, who was reportedly displeased with its depiction of Trump and sought to block the movie. He has now been bought out of his financial stake in the movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to be released in US theatres on October 11, the Los Angeles Times said. Sebastian Stan's lead performance as young New York property tycoon Trump received largely positive reviews at Cannes. The film's screenplay was written by Gabriel Sherman, a journalist who covered real estate for the New York Observer and regularly spoke to Trump. Far from a simple hatchet job, the film depicts Trump as an ambitious but naive social climber desperately trying to navigate the cutthroat world of Manhattan property deals and politics. The Times of London argued it would "make you feel sympathy for Trump." But Trump's decency is gradually eroded as he learns the dark arts of dealmaking and power from his mentor Roy Cohn, played by "Succession" star Jeremy Strong. Film director Ali Abbasi told AFP he included the rape scene to show how Trump distanced himself from "human relationships that define him and that hold him in check as a human being." Stan, best known for the Marvel superhero movies, added that Trump's early behaviour "is much more relatable than we want to admit." Briarcliff Entertainment launched in the late 2010s. Its founder, Tom Ortenberg, previously helped steer Oscar campaigns for best picture winners "Spotlight" and "Crash." He is expected to promote "The Apprentice" in Hollywood's upcoming award season. The news comes on the same day "Reagan," another biopic of a former Republican president, Ronald Reagan, hits US theatres. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Explosive Trump biopic to hit US theatres before election: Reports

A Donald Trump biopic and the latest dark creation by David Cronenberg premiere in Cannes on Monday as the world-famous film festival reaches its midway point. Emilia Perez, a musical about a narco boss having a sex change, is the audacious frontrunner so far after 11 of the 22 entries for the top prize Palme d'Or have been seen.

Demi Moore looks like a serious contender for the best actress award after rave reviews for The Substance, an ultra-gory horror about the pressures women face to maintain bodily perfection as they age. Deadline called the movie "the year's smartest, goriest horror breakout", while Variety singled out Moore as "nothing short of fearless".

The festival -- considered the film industry's foremost get-together -- concludes with its award ceremony on Saturday, with Barbie&nbsp;director Greta Gerwig heading the jury.

Two more buzzy entries arrive on Monday.&nbsp;The Apprentice&nbsp;is a biopic of Trump's formative years from Iranian-born director Ali Abbasi -- bound to stir up controversy in an election year for the United States.

It stars Sebastian Stan, best known for playing the Winter Soldier in Marvel films. He also won best actor at this year's Berlin Film Festival and widespread acclaim for his part as rocker Tommy Lee in the series Pam and Tommy.

Later, Cronenberg -- director of many body-horror classics like The Fly, Crash&nbsp;and Videodrome&nbsp;-- returns to the festival with The Shrouds. Billed as his most personal film yet, it tells the story of a widowed businessman (Vincent Cassell) who invents a machine to monitor the dead in their graves.&nbsp;

It was partly inspired by the death in 2017 of Cronenberg's wife of 43 years. "I don't really think of art as therapy," the Canadian director told Variety. "Grief is forever, as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't go away. You can have some distance from it, but I didn't experience any catharsis making the movie."

Among the entries to score well with critics during the first week was Bird, a gritty but sweet and fantastical tale about a young girl in working-class England from director Andrea Arnold.

Kinds of Kindness, the latest bizarre team-up between Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos, featured some ultra-dark comedy moments, including a thumb-and-cauliflower dinner.&nbsp;

Megalopolis, the decades-in-the-making epic from Francis Ford Coppola, has perhaps been the most divisive entry, with some reviewers finding it a profound end-of-life work of philosophy, and others a barely comprehensible mess.&nbsp;

But the one to beat so far is Emilia Perez, which has earned acclaim for stars Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and trans actor Karla Sofia Gascon in the title role, as well as its French director, Jacques Audiard, who already has a Palme d'Or under his belt.

- Sagas -

The festival has also seen glitzy out-of-competition launches for two Hollywood blockbusters.

The action-packed Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga&nbsp;received largely strong reviews, while Kevin Costner returned to his favourite Western genre with the three-hour Horizon: An American Saga, just the first of four mooted chapters.

Like Coppola, Costner put millions of dollars of his own fortune into the decades-long passion project. "At a certain moment, I just said OK, I'm going to do this myself. And so I mortgaged property, I raised the money," he told AFP at the festival.

The early reviews were mixed, with The Hollywood Reporter deriding it as a "clumsy slog" while British newspaper The Telegraph said it was "earnest yet hopeful... (and) perhaps its full grandeur won’t be fully realised until part two".&nbsp;

Costner says he is unconcerned about risking his money.&nbsp; "If they take it away from me, I still have my movie. I still have my integrity. I still listened to my heart," he said.

A Donald Trump biopic and the latest dark creation by David Cronenberg premiere in Cannes on Monday as the world-famous film festival reaches its midway point. Emilia Perez, a musical about a narco boss having a sex change, is the audacious frontrunner so far after 11 of the 22 entries for the top prize Palme d'Or have been seen.

A Donald Trump biopic and the latest dark creation by David Cronenberg premiere in Cannes on Monday as the world-famous film festival reaches its midway point. Emilia Perez, a musical about a narco boss having a sex change, is the audacious frontrunner so far after 11 of the 22 entries for the top prize Palme d'Or have been seen. Demi Moore looks like a serious contender for the best actress award after rave reviews for The Substance, an ultra-gory horror about the pressures women face to maintain bodily perfection as they age. Deadline called the movie "the year's smartest, goriest horror breakout", while Variety singled out Moore as "nothing short of fearless". The festival -- considered the film industry's foremost get-together -- concludes with its award ceremony on Saturday, with Barbie director Greta Gerwig heading the jury. Two more buzzy entries arrive on Monday. The Apprentice is a biopic of Trump's formative years from Iranian-born director Ali Abbasi -- bound to stir up controversy in an election year for the United States. It stars Sebastian Stan, best known for playing the Winter Soldier in Marvel films. He also won best actor at this year's Berlin Film Festival and widespread acclaim for his part as rocker Tommy Lee in the series Pam and Tommy. Later, Cronenberg -- director of many body-horror classics like The Fly, Crash and Videodrome -- returns to the festival with The Shrouds. Billed as his most personal film yet, it tells the story of a widowed businessman (Vincent Cassell) who invents a machine to monitor the dead in their graves. It was partly inspired by the death in 2017 of Cronenberg's wife of 43 years. "I don't really think of art as therapy," the Canadian director told Variety. "Grief is forever, as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't go away. You can have some distance from it, but I didn't experience any catharsis making the movie." Among the entries to score well with critics during the first week was Bird, a gritty but sweet and fantastical tale about a young girl in working-class England from director Andrea Arnold. Kinds of Kindness, the latest bizarre team-up between Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos, featured some ultra-dark comedy moments, including a thumb-and-cauliflower dinner. Megalopolis, the decades-in-the-making epic from Francis Ford Coppola, has perhaps been the most divisive entry, with some reviewers finding it a profound end-of-life work of philosophy, and others a barely comprehensible mess. But the one to beat so far is Emilia Perez, which has earned acclaim for stars Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and trans actor Karla Sofia Gascon in the title role, as well as its French director, Jacques Audiard, who already has a Palme d'Or under his belt. - Sagas - The festival has also seen glitzy out-of-competition launches for two Hollywood blockbusters. The action-packed Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga received largely strong reviews, while Kevin Costner returned to his favourite Western genre with the three-hour Horizon: An American Saga, just the first of four mooted chapters. Like Coppola, Costner put millions of dollars of his own fortune into the decades-long passion project. "At a certain moment, I just said OK, I'm going to do this myself. And so I mortgaged property, I raised the money," he told AFP at the festival. The early reviews were mixed, with The Hollywood Reporter deriding it as a "clumsy slog" while British newspaper The Telegraph said it was "earnest yet hopeful... (and) perhaps its full grandeur won’t be fully realised until part two". Costner says he is unconcerned about risking his money. "If they take it away from me, I still have my movie. I still have my integrity. I still listened to my heart," he said.

Donald Trump biopic hits Cannes Film Festival

donald-trump-biopic

Donald Trump Biopic, News on Donald Trump Biopic, stories on Donald Trump Biopic, articles on Donald Trump Biopic, Donald Trump Biopic stories at Wion, Donald Trump Biopic news, Donald Trump Biopic latest news

donald trump-biopic

Explosive Trump biopic to hit US theatres before election: Reports

Donald Trump biopic hits Cannes Film Festival